After 3 years of testing, let’s compare SiteGround vs HostGator and find out how they’ve performed so far…
SiteGround vs HostGator – Testing Method
- Prior to testing, I have setup identical content on all 8 Live Test Sites
- Each week over 80,000 speed & uptime tests are run using independent tools, GTmetrix & Pingdom
- Test results below are from 04 Apr 2016 to 22 Dec 2018
Test #1: Speed
The GTmetrix Speed Test checks how long it takes for a website to fully load using a desktop internet browser. This test is then repeated every hour throughout the week (1,340 times).
- SiteGround’s speed was typically in the bottom half of our hosts during 2016. How things have turned around in 2017 & 2018, with a dramatic improvement to 2nd during the 1st half of 2017. SiteGround have then taken it a step further to be our fastest host in H2 2017, H1 2018 and H2 2018.
- HostGator’s speed has typically been around the mid pack of our hosts across 2016 to 2018. Their best performance was in H1 2017 where they were 3rd fastest, but H1 & H2 2018 has seen a dropoff to 7th fastest.
- SiteGround is currently sitting in 1st place and HostGator 6th in our Speed Rankings.
H2 2018 Results
H1 2018 Results
H2 2017 Results
H1 2017 Results
Test #2: Uptime
The Pingdom Uptime Test confirms that the website is actually accessible to visitors. This test is then repeated every minute throughout the week (80,640 times).
- SiteGround have performed brilliantly when it comes to Uptime, showing rare consistency for the 3 years we’ve been testing. Their performance in H1 2018 has been their best so far, with just 12 minutes of downtime, while H2 2018 was also impressive with just 23 minutes of downtime.
- HostGator’s uptime has been let down by 1 horrendous week (Week 43), where they recorded 425 minutes of downtime. Across 2018, they avoided any one off poor weeks, and a result have been the 5th best performer.
- SiteGround is currently ranked 2nd, while HostGator is 5th in our Uptime Rankings.
View the Weekly Uptime Tests
SiteGround vs HostGator – Overall Test Results
The Overall Ranking accumulates the results from the speed & uptime tests to determine the #1 Host.
- SiteGround’s performance was solid throughout 2016, but has really stepped up across 2017 & 2018. Their uptime consistency has been very impressive plus they have been our fastest host over the past 18 months. These results have led to SiteGround achieving for the first time the coveted #1 Overall Ranking – Congratulations!!
- While HostGator’s speed has shown promise at times, it has fallen into the bottom 2 hosts in 2018. When this is combined with the disastrous week of uptime, where they experienced a ridiculous 425 minutes of outages, HostGator has struggled to compete with the best hosts.
- This results in SiteGround currently sitting in 1st and HostGator 6th in our Overall Rankings.
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